Electric alarm-signal for railway-cars.



PATENTEI) NOV. I7, 1903.

D. N. JORDAN. ELECTRIC ALARM SIGNAL ECR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 29, 1903.

NO MODEL.

j( Irl/3.7.

Fla. 6.

/NVEN TDR,

fm Wwf/6g,

M/l TNESEEE.

ivo. 744,354.

UNITED STATES Patented November 1i?, 1903.

PATENT OEEICE.

DAVID N. JORDAN, OF EAST PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOHN P. BEAGAN, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

ELECTRIC ALARM-SIGNAL FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 744,354, dated November I7, 1903.

Application filed January 29,1903. Serial No. 141,002. (No model.)

T tl whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DAVID N. JORDAN, a citizen of the United States,residingat East Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Alarm- Signals for Railway-Cars, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

1o Like letters indicate like parts.

Figure lis a side elevation of an electric street-railway car provided with my invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a step of such a car containing my said invention.

x5 Fig. 3 is a sectional View of the device as seen on line .fr a: of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a central transverse section of the same as seen in its operative position. Fig. 5 is the same as Fig. 4 except that the parts are shown in their 2o normal or inoperative position. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the contact-board. Fig. 7 is the rubber mat which covers the operative parts of the device.

My invention is an electric alarm-signal z5 adapted to notify the conductor of a railwaycar whether 0r not there is a passenger or weight upon the car-step, and it is designed as a means of prevention of accidents to passengers in entering a car or alighting therego from.

Most of the accidents which occur in the passenger traffic of street-railways take place at the car-step when persons are stepping on or oft' itwhile the car is in motion. lVhen the conductor is inside the car collecting fares he cannot, especially when the car is crowded and many passengers are standing, positively know when a person is on the carstep in either entering or leaving the car, but

.to must depend entirely upon his judgment as to the possible whereabouts of the incoming or outgoing passenger or act upon the information given to him on inquiry by some one who may be standing on the platform. In either case, however, the street-carcornpany is liable for damages suffered by an injured passenger on account of the assumed negligence of the conductor in not accurately knowing whether the passenger is wholly on the car or 5o wholly Off.

My invention relates to the class of electric alarm-signals; and it consists ofthe novel construction and combination of the several parts, as hereinafter particularly described, and specilically set forth in the claims.

In the drawings, A represents an electric street-railway car; B, the platform; O, the lower step; D, the trolley-pole; E E, the carwheels, and F F/ the journal-boxes for said wheels.

` The car-step O is placed in series with the trolley and ground. It has a rectangular de pression or chamber in it. (Indicated in section in Figs. 3, 4, and 5, but most plainlyby the dotted lines in Fig. 2.) This car-step C is usually made of iron and is supported in the well-known manner, as illustrated in Fig. l. On the four anges a, constituting the walls of said depression, is the top groove b. On the bottom of this carstep depression is placed iirst the contact-board G, made of wood, fiber, or other suitable subst-ance which is not a conductor of electricity. The contact-board G has a series of holes or openings c through it, preferably in a line near the front edge thereof, and on its under side it is longitudinally channeled. A brass or other metallic strip II is laid and secured in the channel so formed and lies in contact with the step O in the depression or chamber thereof. This strip H is in line with the holes c. It is shown in section in Figs. e. and 5 andin dotted lines in Fig. 6. Near the opposite (inner) edge of the contact-board Gr it is channeled longitudinally upon its upper side, and a brass or other metallic strip I is laid and secured in the channel so formed, as seen in Figs. LI, 5, and 6. Spring-arms J, of tempered brass or other suitable metal, are fastened at one end thereof to the metallic strip I by the screws d or otherwise. At the opposite (front) end of each spring-arm J is a contact-block e, made of metal or other material adapted to conduct electricity and of a size and shape to enable it to pass easily through the hole c, to which it is adjacent, until its lower surface is in contact with the upper surface of the strip H.

A cover Ii, rectangular in shape or otherwise formed to iit loosely in the depression of the car-step O, is made el' weed, ber, or other suitable material which docs not conduct electricity and rests upon the top surface of the spring-arms J J, as shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5.

L is a lnat or tread, preferably made of india-rubber or other material which does not conduct electricity, and constitutes the entire upper surface of the car-step C. The mat L has the four ribs ffff on its lower surface, and these ribs enter the grooves a of the carstep, as fully represented in Figs. 3, Li, and 5, and are cemented or otherwise secured therein.

A wire m, properly insulated, passes through an opening s in the side of the carstep C and is fastened at its lower end to the strip I by a screw or otherwise, as shown in Fig. 6, and its opposite end passes to the journal-box M or other suitable support for grounding. A wire n, properly insulated, passes through said opening s of the car-step and is fastened at its lower end to the strip H by a screw or otherwise, as shown in Fig. 6, and its opposite end passes up to the switch and fuse-box N, and awire c passes from the switch or fuse-box N to the electric lamp O in the ceiling 0f the car, and the wires w and .2f from the lamp O connect, as usual, with the trolley-pole D to complete an electric circuit for lighting.

The position of the parts contained in and upon the car-step is normallyas shown in Fig. 5. I-Iere the upper surface of the mat L is flush or even with the top of the car-step C, and the contact-blocks e of the spring-arms J are raised by the resilience of said springs above and out of contact with the metallic strip I-I. The cover K, resting upon the spring-arms J, is also elevated, as seen in said figure; but whenever a person steps upon the mat or tread L said mat or tread is depressed in its center and crowds down the cover K, and the cover K presses down the springarms J J, and when said spring-arms have come to the position shown in Fig. 4 the contact-blocks e e, passing down through the holes c c of the contact-board G, come into contact with the metallic strip II. The electric circuit is then complete and the electric lamp is lighted. As soon as the person steps off the car-step C the spring-arms J J, being then relieved of pressure, rise from the operative position (shown in Fig. 4f) to the normal or inoperative position, (shown in Fig. 5,) thus breaking the electric circuit, and consequently the electric light is extinguished. It is thus evident that the lamp O will be lighted, and so continue as long as a person is upon the car-step C, and in this manner the conductor is always able to know whether said step is occupied or not. It is to be uuderstood, however, that the electric lamp O is independent of the regular illuminatinglamps for lighting the car and is on an electric circuit of its own shunted off from the main circuit. This signal-lamp O, connected with the car-step, should have its globe red or of some other distinguishing color.

It is obvious that instead of using a lamp O for an alarm-signal I may use a bell or a dial or other suitable indicating means.

rlhe ribs ff of the mat or tread L, iitting in the grooves b of the car-step flanges a, constitute a protection against the weather and prevent rain, snow, or moisture from reaching the interioroperative parts of the device. Instead of this a rubber bag or any other suitable weather-proof protector may be used to cover said operative parts.

Whenever for any reason it is desired that this step-protecting devicelshall not be used, the electric circuit can be broken by turning the switch P.

I claim as a novel and useful invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. In an electric car, the combination of an electric signal, a car-step having a depression or chamber in its upper side, a contact-board which is not a conductor of electricity located in said depression or chamber and having two longitudinal metallic strips one upon the upper side thereof near the back edge and one upon the lower side thereof near its front edge,which contact-board has a series of holes or openings through it near the front edge, a series of metallic spring-arms fastened at their rear ends to the first-named strip and each provided at its front end with a contactblock capable of passing through that hole of the contact-board adjacent thereto to touch the upper surface of the second-named strip and thus to complete an electric circuit therewith, a wire from said signal to the last-named strip, and a grounding-wire from the firstnamed strip, to a proper support, substantially as specified.

IOC

2. In an electric car, the combination of an electric signal, a car-step having a depression or chamber in its upper side, a contact-board located in said depression or chamber and having two longitudinal metallic strips one upon the upper side thereof near the back edge and one upon the lower side thereof near the front edge, which board is provided with a series of holes or openings through it near the front edge, a series of metallic springarms fastened at their rear ends to the firstnamed strip and each provided at its front end with a contact-block capable of passing through that hole of the contact-board adjacent thereto to touch the upper surface of the second-named strip and thus to complete an electric circuit therewith, a wire from said signal to the last-named strip, a grounding- Wire from the first-named strip, to a proper support, and a cover in said depression or chamber resting upon said spring-arms, substantially as described.

3. In an electric car, the combination of an electric signal, a car-step having a depression or chamber in its upper side and a groove in its upper surface near the edge thereof, a contact-board located in said depression or chamber and having two longitudinal metallic strips one upon the upper side thereof IIO near the back edge and one upon the lower side thereof near the front edge, which board is provided with a series of holes or openings through it near the front edge, a series of metallic spring-arms fastened at their rear ends tothe rst-named strip and each provided at its front end with a contact-block capable of passing through that hole of the contact-board adjacent thereto to touch the upper surface of the second-named strip and thus to complete an electric circuit therewith, a Wire from said signal to the iirst-named strip,a wire from said signal to thelast-named strip, a grounding-wire from the first-named strip to a proper support, a cover in said depression or chamber resting upon said springarms, and a mat resting upon said cover and car-step and provided with ribs which enter into said grooves of the car-step, said contact-board, cover and mat being made of ma- DAVID N. JORDAN.

Witnesses:

WARREN R. PERCE, HOWARD A. LAMPREY. 

